Obliviously Chasing
by Zexian
Summary: Tatsuya and Miyuki's engagement shook the foundations of Japan's Magic Society. However, even when Tatsuya reigns at the pinnacle of power, even he is hopelessly lost at the workings of a woman's heart. Huge spoilers if you haven't read the actual light novel series.
1. Hopelessly lost

"Onii… Tatsuya-sama…"

Miyuki was lying on the couch with one hand on her forehead and the other along her side. She wore a small miniskirt coupled with a light blue blouse that seemed to exude gracefulness as she slowly turned to face Tatsuya, who was sitting across from her on a recliner.

"What is it, Miyuki?"

Engrossed in a book, Tatsuya answered blankly without looking up.

"Hmph."

"…"

Though stoic in front, a wave of panic swept through Tatsuya's mind as he struggled to find where he treaded wrong.

This was not a good sign for the newly engaged couple. Definitely not.

Moments of silence passed as Tatsuya wracked his brain for an answer while Miyuki played a game of silent treatment. Tatsuya couldn't focus on his book anymore; his mind jumped back and forth between psion frequencies and Miyuki's mood like an out-of-control seesaw. Where did he go wrong?

'Did we have something planned today? No, otherwise it would've been on my calendar.'

If only Minami was here.

'There are things only women can understand, after all.'

Minami was out with her fellow second years; it was in consideration of Miyuki's insistence that Minami should make some friends, though it wasn't much of a suggestion much as it was an order. At first, Tatsuya supported this idea because Minami was lacking in social skills that were slightly unbefitting of a Yotsuba Guardian.

'If Minami doesn't learn how to socialize, it'll be troublesome when we bring her to public events…'

Suddenly, Miyuki straightened herself out on the couch and stood up.

"Tatsuya-sama."

This time, Tatsuya perked up and met Miyuki's gaze. Her milky-white skin that complimented her elegant face seemed to radiate a warm ojou-sama smile.

'Looking at her everyday makes me realize how beautiful she is, day after day…" sighed Tatsuya inwardly.

However, behind that ojou-sama smile was a bone-chilling aura worthy of the Ice Queen of First High.

"Would you like some coffee to compliment your BOOK?"

Looking at Miyuki, Tatsuya could only guess at her true intentions. "Ah… sure Miyuki. It's a bit hot today, so can you slightly chill it?" he answered.

"Of course, Tatsuya-sama. One CHILLED coffee, coming right up!" she replied, bouncing into the kitchen.

'Wait. Why did I ask for it chi-… Oh god. What is she going to do with my coffee?'

Memories of Miyuki's practical "jokes" and teasing flooded into Tatsuya's head. One particularly memorable incident was when Miyuki was folding his clothes and deliberately chilled the clothes that he was planning to wear after his morning shower. Luckily, there were no events planned during that day, but Tatsuya spent a good eight hours in the blizzard known as his t-shirt, boxers, and pants.

'Brr…. I don't need to relive something like that again.'

"Miyuki," called Tatsuya. "I'm going down to the basement to work on ESCAPES. Can you bring the coffee down when you're done?"

"Tatsuya-sama, you haven't even finished reading the first three chapters of that book."

A chill went up Tatsuya's spine.

'Has she been watching me this whole time? I could've sworn her eyes were closed...'

"Why don't you stay in the living room with me and finish the book first? I'm very sure that reading the book is crucial to the ESCAPES project."

Tatsuya fell silent. She was right, in fact. He had been reading the book to look for some new perspectives on the problems that the ESCAPES project was currently stuck on.

"You're… absolutely right, Miyuki. I'll finish the book here first."

Tatsuya was cornered like a newly captured lion in a cage; although powerful, he would shrink at the hands of his captor. As Tatsuya continued to live in fear of Miyuki's playful nature, she returned with a large glass of iced coffee complimented with a stainless steel straw on a porcelain platter.

And she sat on the couch across from Tatsuya, porcelain platter and coffee on her lap.

"…"

"…"

Moments of silence passed as Miyuki sat down in the middle of the couch, facing Tatsuya, who was nervously peeking from his book.

"Tatsuya-sama."

"Y-Yes!"

"The couch is much more spacious than the recliner. Why don't you sit here?"

At this point, Tatsuya knew that Miyuki was planning something; there was no other possible scenario. However, knowing something was up didn't mean that he knew how to navigate himself out of the situation.

He could only play along to what could be one of the more dangerous games in his life.

Slowly, Tatsuya got up from the recliner and walked to the left of Miyuki and sat down. What he didn't anticipate, was that Miyuki would be scooting, inch by inch, toward him. Tatsuya had no choice but to give way, eventually being forced to the corner of the couch.

The platter with the iced coffee was still on Miyuki's lap, who had been careful not to spill it in her cat-like movements to move next to Tatsuya. Once she was next to Tatsuya, she took the stainless steel straw on the platter and put it into the tall glass of iced coffee before taking a small sip.

Miyuki's proximity to Tatsuya was more distressing than he thought it would be; before, he dismissed physical contact as a showing of sibling love. However, it was now physical contact between two engaged persons.

That implied completely different things than if they were siblings. His heartbeat quickened as his sweaty palms slackened his grip on the book, eventually lowering it from the height of his chest to his waist.

"Ara, Tatsuya-sama. You seem to be a bit hot. Would you like some of your iced coffee?"

"Ah… Yes, of course."

On cue, Miyuki proceeded to elevate the tall glass so that the straw was just hovering in front of Tatsuya's lips.

"Miyuki… I can hold the glass myself."

"But you wouldn't like to get the book wet, would you?"

The glass began to develop small droplets of water on its outer surface, seemingly at Miyuki's will.

"No, I wouldn't."

Cautiously, Tatsuya bent his head forward and took a sip of the coffee through the straw and turned his head sideways only to meet Miyuki's smiling face at an extremely affectionate intimacy. Miyuki was increasingly shifting her weight onto Tatsuya's shoulders as she was holding the coffee Tatsuya was sipping on, though she held the glass as if she was still.

"Ahem… Miyuki?"

"Yes, Tatsuya-sama?"

"Would you mind getting off of me?" said Tatsuya, averting his gaze at Miyuki.

"…"

Miyuki looked pitifully forlorn for a split second before her ojou-sama training kicked in as she backed away, placing the platter with the iced coffee on the tabletop in front of Tatsuya.

No matter how small the slip was, it could not escape the eyes of Tatsuya. He could only draw one conclusion.

The problem now, was how to fix it.


	2. She, his, and him, hers

Sigh…

Tatsuya's mind was in shambles. Not only did he fail to gain new perspectives on ESCAPES, he was now completely bamboozled by what just happened.

After delicately separating from Miyuki, Tatsuya excused himself to the laboratory, claiming that he had found a possible method of breaking through. Miyuki did not object to his quick exit (surprisingly enough). Instead, she wished him the best for his work while she stayed in the living room. He didn't actually find anything of note.

Sigh…

'I don't know what I've done, but Miyuki is clearly not her usual self.'

Tatsuya sat down on his office chair and logged himself into the computer system and kicked off from his desk. He nearly bumped into some considerably expensive equipment.

As the computer started up, Tatsuya rolled his chair back towards his desk and input a series of long passwords at a breakneck speed.

"Access approved," read the screen. "User ID confirmed: Tatsuya Shiba."

The computer screen loaded to where Tatsuya left off on, a fundamental hardware error regarding the ESCAPES project. Looking at it again, Tatsuya's mind came up blank and only wandered back to the incidents of the living room.

Miyuki's slightly creased eyebrows, the quiet little sigh, her pale lukewarm touch, and the smallest hints of disappointment in her hazily azure eyes were firmly engraved in his mind.

'If only Regrowth worked on Miyuki's mood…. But I don't know how long she's been like that.'

"Damn it. I should just send this hardware to Ushiyama-san and ask for his opinion."

Miyuki's voice echoed from the hall above. "Tatsuya-sama?"

"Yeah, Miyuki?" responded Tatsuya casually.

"Honoka just called and invited me to go shopping at the mall."

"Is Shizuku-san going as well?"

"Well… no. It seems to be only Honoka."

"Do you want me to take you there?" asked Tatsuya. "It's on my way to FLT to troubleshoot with Ushiyama-san."

"…"

Tatsuya's question floated in the silent air.

"Yes… please," Miyuki finally answered. "I'll… just take a minute to get dressed."

"Take as long as you need," called Tatsuya as he walked toward his bedroom up the stairs after he loaded the information into a portable terminal. "I'm in no rush and I'm sure Honoka can wait a few minutes."

"We're taking the motorbike, so I shouldn't wear anything too loose," he murmured to himself.

Tatsuya settled for white pants and a black long-sleeved t-shirt. It lightly clung to the outline, emphasizing his already-broad chest and shoulders. Though he was not bulging out of his shirt, per say, it solidly emphasized his muscles. Tatsuya grabbed the portable terminal in the lab before heading into the living room.

There, he was met with Miyuki's back, who was leisurely sitting on a couch.

'Beautiful…'

Miyuki's attractiveness only seemed to grow stronger each day. Only Tatsuya, who had built in a resistance to such beauty, was able to emotionlessly shift his attention elsewhere.

Even then, he could not completely break out of his awe.

"Tatsuya-sama."

"A-ah. Yes. Coming."

She stood up as Tatsuya approached down the hallway.

'Saegusa-sempai would tell me to compliment her here…' thought Tatsuya, only to remember a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Tatsuya-sama, is anything wrong?" asked Miyuki quizzically. She twirled around to face him, greeting him with a cerulean blue skirt and white blouse matched with a dainty straw hat.

"Nothing," he replied. "I just don't think anyone could have worn that any better."

"…"

"Miyuki?"

"N-nothing, Onii-, no Tatsuya-sama. Shall we get going now?"

"Of course."

Tatsuya stepped outside and revved up his motorbike, meeting Miyuki in front of the house's doorstep. She climbed on slowly and skillfully wrapped her arms around Tatsuya's abdomen, where she could feel his chiseled muscles.

Usually, Tatsuya would neglect this form of skinship.

But that was when they were brother and sister and not lovers. And this was no usual day either.

"We can go now, Tat-su-ya-sa-ma."

Tatsuya could feel a mischievous little grin forming on Miyuki's face. He didn't need eyes on the back of his head to see it, and Miyuki probably knew that too. He had a strong urge to tell Miyuki to hold onto him somewhere else, but didn't.

'Isn't that what got me into this situation in the first place?' he thought.

Tatsuya gently swerved onto the street and drove down the hill towards the downtown area. As they rode downtown, Miyuki started to lean on Tatsuya. Body heat surged in two ample areas along his back.

'Too close.'

"Onii-sama, is there something on your mind?"

"No- nothing."

"Why didn't you turn at the last intersection?"

"Hmm? Aren't we still on… oh."

The junction vanished into the distance; it would be a long stretch before there was another intersection.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Definitely."

Silence gripped the air like laughing reaper; Tatsuya would give anything for an engine's roar right now.

That was the past century when automobiles had an overbearing effect on the environment, but at least they would interrupt the awkward silence.

"Miyuki, will you need me to pick you up after?"

"Of course, Tatsuya-sama. I'd rather not take a taxi."

"Hm? I might take a long time with work, and we've done it before."

"Tatsuya-sa…"

"I'm just saying that because it'll be easier for both of us."

"But is easier better?"

Tatsuya just… couldn't say anything more. Any more, and the cute pout would erupt into a snowstorm. It was good timing when they reached the intersection at a red light, when Miyuki loosened her grip on Tatsuya's abdomen, but leaned further forward onto Tatsuya's back.

'Remember what Maya-sama taught you. Be delicate with her feelings,' recited Tatsuya.

"Certainly not," Tatsuya affirmed. "Call me when you're ready to leave, okay?"

"Of course, Tatsuya-sama."

The light turned green and Tatsuya sped up his motorcycle, visible light reflecting off the mall's glass dome.

"Tatsuya-sama, what are you thinking about?"

"Reminiscing."

"About the time the fire magician went rampant?"

"No."

"Is it our hangout with Erika and the others a month or two ago?"

"Not that either."

Grinning, Tatsuya now realized he now had a peculiar advantage over Miyuki. And it was not one he was going to let go of easily.

"Hmm… What are you thinking about then?" asked Miyuki.

"Nothing important, really. We're almost at the mall."

Annoyed, her petite hands started to clutch his abdomen forcefully.

"Miyuki?"

"If you don't tell me, Tatsuya-sa-ma…"

Her delicately-shaped fingers started applying a shocking amount of force into his abdomen.

"Fine… stop!" cried out Tatsuya teasingly. "I'll really lose focus on the road, Miyuki!"

The pain only intensified.

"Okay, okay, really now," said Tatsuya, steeling himself. " I'll tell you, so stop digging your nails into me."

"Really?"

"Don't you trust your beloved Onii-sama?"

"You-you're Ta-Tatsuya-sama now…"

'You're too cute when you're like this,' thought Tatsuya. He could try to imagine her lightly sulking lips, but it would pale in comparison to the actual thing. Doing so would be an insult to her nonetheless, especially when she was now his and him hers.

"I was just joking… I'd never hide anything from you…" continued Tatsuya.

"So?"

"Why are you talking to me like that? You should know that you're only cuter when you're like that."

A frosty wind penetrated his helmet tickled the inside of Tatsuya's ear.

"It was just the time after 9SC where we went to the mall together," answered Tatsuya rather dryly.

Small beadlike things glittered on her cherry-blossom cheeks.

"Miyuki?"

A small blue light reminiscent of a magic sequence formed and dissipated in an instant.

"Nothing, Tatsuya-sama."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Tatsuya-sama."

Almost completely unaware, Tatsuya pulled up to the mall's entrance where Miyuki promptly dismounted the bike. He stared at Miyuki as she walked into the mall's entrance occupied by gaping observers.

For just a small moment, Tatsuya's eyebrows creased at the onlookers.

"Call me when you're done!"

She promptly waved back without even looking back.

'Hm… Usually she would smile at me and wave goodbye… I wonder what's on her mind today."

Keeping that in mind, he proceeded to accelerate towards FLT's lab facilities.


	3. A wo(man)'s heeds

"Welcome back, Bocchan."

"Ushiyama-san, I said to stop calling me that. After all, the success of the 3rd Division would have been impossible without you."

Tatsuya gazed at the man with bushy hair screaming "eccentric" in front of a mass of people walking back and forth from the coffee machines and their desks. Though they seemed to pay the two no heed, each step was as heavy and booming as the speaker.

"You're just being humble, Tatsuya-sama. After all, I only tweak the hardware. We would be nowhere without your ingenuity."

"Regardless, are there any new issues with the Flying-type magic sequence?"

A collective, miniature gasp.

"Most of the problems regarding efficiency have been more or less solved. Pardon me asking, but what made you come today?"

"Nothing in particular," responded Tatsuya, glancing at the surrounding workplace.

"Tatsuya-san, it's a break in the middle of your student years. Take it from someone who spent their childhood tinkering in a garage. Enjoy it."

"It's actually much harder than you think…"

"Ushiyama-san, we just received a new message from HQ," called Tetsu, a boy under the tutelage of Ushiyama.

The air seemed to freeze; after all, a call from headquarters during one of the quieter times of the year was rare. It either meant that there was a policy change, or something from the upper brass. It was quite literally, a Pandora's box.

"It's for the Director," he clarified.

Breaths of relief echoed the room, while others clicked their tongues in disappointment. Dreams of a higher wage and promotions drifted into the distance. But only Tatsuya's eyes narrowed cautiously.

After all, the upper brass weren't worthy of someone like Ushiyama, at least in Tatsuya's view.

"Ah, I'll read it in my office later. It's probably not that important."

"It's marked time-sensitive, Director."

"Agh, really now. I guess I'll go read it," sighed Ushiyama. "Tatsuya, would you like to come into my office? I've kept you standing for a while now…"

"By all means, yes," replied Tatsuya. "You have a coffee machine, right?"

"Of course. But it won't live up to the coffee of Miyuki-san, I'm sure," said Ushiyama, lightly stepping into his office.

"One of the joys of having a younger sister, I suppose."

The door slid close.

"There's much more than sibling compatibility between the two of you, if I do say so myself."

Time froze. Was Ushiyama a threat to the Yotsuba? Though the announcement was public, it was an affair largely concealed within the upper echelons of magical society. Ushiyama, unsurprisingly, was not a part of it.

"We've always shared a rather close bond, Ushiyama-san," Tatsuya coolly replied. "What do you perceive the two of us as?"

"If you two weren't siblings, you would be at least boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Really, now. How so?"

"You tune her CAD, right?" asked Ushiyama. "After all, I wouldn't see why you wouldn't."

"There is no reason why I wouldn't. Is there anything strange with doing so?"

A heavy sigh collapsed onto Ushiyama's chair, along with the rest of his body.

"You don't understand, Tatsuya-san. You just don't understand."

"Understand what, Ushiyama-san?"

"A CAD is a like an extension of oneself on the most private level. Allowing someone to configure a CAD is like allowing someone to inspect you naked."

"We're siblings."

"You'd be surprised about how lacking trust is in our society. It's actually a shame we all can't have a relationship like you and your sister."

'No, I wouldn't,' thought Tatsuya. 'And we're no longer siblings, for better or worse.'

"Ara, Tatsuya, this message actually concerns you. It seems like Shiba-buchō would like to visit and assess our yearly expenditures and performance."

"Isn't our paperwork usually the first in?"

"She wants to assess our performance through a meeting with Mr. Silver in the conference room via video chat."

"When is it?"

"Today, apparently. It's scheduled to be in approximately two hours' time."

'What a demanding woman… But I've no choice but to go to this meeting,' thought Tatsuya. "Will you be there too?"

"Of course."

"We've got two hours until the conference."

"I actually came because of some possible hardware issues with ESCAPES, and I was wondering if some of the hardware could handle the degree of processing in the sequence."

"Of course! While I look through some of the code, do you mind looking over some of the recent paperwork? I'm sure you'd be interested in the 3rd Division's earnings."

"Sure. I'll trust your paperwork."

Tatsuya opened his portable terminal to send the data to Ushiyama's desktop, which was promptly exchanged by a mountain of paperwork Ushiyama fished out of his bottomless cabinets. Thickets of graphs, numbers, and charts were haphazardly placed on the desk.

"I suppose I'll take my time with this paperwork…"

"…"

…

…

"Tatsuya-san."

…

"Bocchan."

"…"

"Bocchan, are you awake?"

"Mmm?"

"Wake up, it's almost time for the board meeting."

"Was I sleeping?"

"I don't know. I was really engrossed in the hardware. I could tell, though, that you weren't looking through the papers," snickered Ushiyama. "It's almost two o'clock. We need to go the meeting."

"Of course. Just… give me a second," replied Tatsuya, slightly groggily.

"Have you been sleeping well lately?"

"I take proper health precautions, Ushhiyama-san. I would be more worried about the person sitting in a lab all day."

"Fair enough. I'll be waiting for you in the conference room."

Ushiyama stepped out of his office, heading towards the conference room. It wasn't enough to swivel heads towards his path into the conference room, but enough to attract a few curious stares.

'Was I just spacing out?'

'Not the point now,' thought Tatsuya. 'I have a meeting to attend, and it'll be good for the 3rd Division if we manage to get more resources from HQ.'

Slowly, Tatsuya stood up and walked out of the office. This time, scarcely anybody turned their heads towards his way. Having refilled their coffee, each person was diligently working on their projects, almost like a perfectly oiled clockwork watch. Not that anyone used one in this era.

"How pleasant of you to join us, Mr. Silver," echoed the lady on the screen after the door to the conference room closed.

"My apologies for being late, Shiba-buchō. Was there anything requiring my attention?"

"Ushiyama-san has already presented the financial matters. As the two leaders of the _innovative_ 3rd Division, do you have any requests for additional aid outside the planned expenditures?"

Ushiyama's glance flickered to Tatsuya for one second, before returning to the pale iceberg on the screen.

"We're still working on streamlining the efficiency of the Flying-type magic device. In order to do more tests, we need more hardware to experiment with. If possible, we could utilize an additional two million yen."

"Even the 2nd Division doesn't have that kind of surplus funding, Director Ushiyama. But I'll see if there is any surplus money in the budget we can send your way."

"I greatly appreciate your generosity, Shiba-buchō."

"Mr. Silver."

"Yes, Shiba-buchō?"

"What are your plans for the upcoming year other than the usual?"

Tatsuya flinched. Talking about future plans would inexplicably involve working in cohesion with a timeline set by the Yotsuba, leaving the entire year up for debate. And particularly, there was one person in the room that should not be involved, at least not now.

Neither Ushiyama or Tatsuya knew how to answer this.

"I will follow Bocchan's lead, Shiba-buchō."

"I know that," she replied coolly. "After all, all hardware requires software to function, does it not?"

"I believe that _both_ hardware and software are equally necessary to a successful project, Shiba-san."

Gulp.

"Fair enough. Director Ushiyama, you are excused from this meeting. There is something I must discuss with Mr. Silver. Privately."

"U-understood, Shiba-buchō. I will take my leave, then." He glanced at Tatsuya for a split second before walking out, knowing full well the power of the upper brass.

The door closed behind the tensioned atmosphere.

"What business did you have with me, Sayuri-san?"

"Is it true."

"What?"

"Stop playing with me. Is. It. True."

"I would require more specifics before I answer your question, Sayuri-san."

"I've spent my whole life at the whim of the Yotsubas, Tatsuya. Don't insult me further."

"How did you know I was in the facilities today?"

"Don't change the subject."

"What would you like to know?"

"Are you and Miyuki engaged to each other?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Pardon?"

"How do the Yotsuba act now?"

"I cannot tell you that."

"Tch." Her glare hardened as she gazed into Tatsuya's eyes.

"Is our business concluded?"

"Don't marry her, Tatsuya."

"Excuse me?"

"You two are siblings, not born but raised that way. You will never be able to overcome your sibling bonds. And I'm sure she at least feels somewhat the same way."

"And I'm sure you know her better than I do," Tatsuya replied.

"I know how a woman's heart works," she retorted, "which is more than you'll ever know."

"I don't think you can understand how a woman's heart works without understanding pity, Sayuri-san."

"Take it your way. Just know that both your father AND I disapprove of your relationship."

"Chichi-ue did?"

"As a matter of fact, he's probably going to talk to you soon."

"Like you did, calling a business meeting to discuss personal matters?"

"I don't have time to trade insults with you."

"After all, I'm sure you're busy calculating the projected growth of FLT's stock prices in the next quarter."

"Don't push it."

"If our business is concluded, Shiba-buchō, may I take my leave?"

"Do what you will, Mr. Silver."

Without another word, Tatsuya bowed and ended the video call. The conference room of pointed daggers returned to its chic nature by design, seemingly devoid of the web of razor-thin wires.

"Chichi-ue, what do you really think?"


	4. Glossary

Glossary

Japanese Suffixes

 **-san** is a common honorific that are somewhat equivalent to a "Mr." or "Mrs." in English.

 **-sama** is the most formal honorific that demonstrates great respect for an individual, but can be used sarcastically. In the _Mahouka_ universe, Miyuki refers to Tatsuya as "Onii-sama," denoting that she has a great level of respect (and affection) for her brother (now betrothed).

 **-buch** **ō** is a suffix that when attached to someone's name, denotes that they are the boss in a professional setting. This is a suffix commonly used in a business setting when referring to the people in managerial/supervisory positions

Japanese Words

 **Onii-(suffix) and Onee-(suffix)** refer to "brother" and "sister", respectively in a less formal setting. I would try to explain more of it, but it's confusing and I'm not Japanese. Here's a website: .

 **Ojou (correctly spelled Ōjo)** is a word translating to "princess" in English. Combined with different suffixes, it can act as both a noun and an adjective (e.g. ojou-sama smile). Specifically, the "ojou-sama smile" refers to a perfect smile befitting of a princess. It can be manipulated to become an adjective denoting perfect demeanor/behavior in accordance to "yamato nadeshiko" standards.

 **Yamato nadeshiko** refers to the "the epitome of pure, feminine beauty" according to Japanese standards, but is often used to refer to girls or shy young women. This website explains the trope very well: /Main/YamatoNadeshiko.

This page will be updated as the story progresses if new terms are added. If there's a discrepancy or mistake, PLEASE message me directly using your account. I'd rather not have an error in a glossary.


End file.
